Reading List 3

Three months strong, this now feels like a real thing I need to keep up for the rest of the year. This month I focused more on books related to work, so a lot more non-fiction than usual.

March, 2015

Man V. Nature: Stories (Diane Cook) - I love this book so much, I'm taking breaks in between each short story so I don't finish reading it in a single night. I'm serious. Diane Cook is a truly wonderful writer.

Art & Fear (David Bayles & Ted Orland) - Essential reading for everyone in the arts. This is the kind of book you highlight and reference all the time.

Kaleidoscope (Ray Bradbury) - This is actually the first Ray Bradbury story I've read. I'll be reading more. How much longer can every story I read be better than the last?

The Shape of Design (Frank Chimero) - Although I'm not a designer, I find myself fascinated by the process and thinking of design and how it relates to art as a whole. Chimero is full of knowledge that I can't wait to devour.

The Fortune Cookie Principle (Bernadette Jiwa) - A few good insights buried in what otherwise reads like Online Business Textbook 101. I wish it had cut more than surface deep on one of its dozens of anecdotes.

The War of Art (Steven Pressfield) - This book didn't really do it for me. Still, I can think of at least a few people that should read this book right away, and for them it could be life-changing. The first section feels much stronger than the rest. Something about the writing just makes it feel much older than it is.

Start with Why (Simon Sinek) - This is a fine book, but I skimmed some pages and didn't feel like I missed anything. Comparing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to brands felt a little crass. Sinek's TED talk on the subject is ultimately much more powerful. Or this Steve Jobs Q&A response from 1997 displays the thinking behind that theory.